The present invention relates to article dispensers in general, and more particularly to dispensers of wrapped articles such as drinking straws.
Many dispensers exist for plastic drinking straws. As uniform cylindrical objects they are readily accessed, indexed, and dispensed from a bin or hopper. Yet often customers prefer to receive their straws in an enclosed package, to keep the straw clean as it is transported. These packages are typically comprised of a paper or plastic wrapping. The wrapped straw, then, is not so uniform an object as the straw itself, and presents significant challenges in its dispensing, since it is asymmetrical and a compound assembly of elements. What is needed is a convenient and economical dispenser which can readily and repeatably dispense articles wrapped in paper, plastic, or the like.